Matt is a graduate of Southern New Hampshire University. He appreciates all esports titles but primarily focuses on Fortnite and Call of Duty. Matt continuously analyzes gameplay and plays the games himself to better understand in-game decisions by the best players in the world.

Fortnite Patch v10.30 Analysis and Patch Notes

Fortnite Season X continues on with its latest patch, v10.30. After some questionable decisions out of Epic Games, they are continuing to add and remove all sorts of features from the game in an attempt to keep it fresh. The latest additions to the Battle Royale title includes two new Rift Zones located in the returning Greasy Grove and newly added Moisty Palms. Epic Games has also implemented minor weapon adjustments and bug fixes as per usual. Here is the full breakdown of the notable adjustments made to Fortnite: Battle Royale.

Fortnite Patch v10.30 Notes

Greasy Grove

The “Rift Zone” aspect of this location provides a new consumable and it makes all players within the Rift Zone dance. The patch notes state:

A Rift Zone has brought back Greasy Grove! But this time, Durrr Burger is out, and Tacos are in!

Periodically, Spicy Tacos will rain down from the sky. Their smell is so overwhelmingly appetizing that players in the Zone can’t help but dance!

While dancing, players are invulnerable to damage from others and will regenerate health at 20 HP per second.

Dancing does not block Storm Damage or regenerate Health in the Storm.

Spicy Tacos can be consumed for 10 Effective Health (sum of a player’s Health + Shield) and a temporary increase in movement speed (40% increase for 20 seconds).

The Spicy Tacos don’t last long — grab them before they expire!

The tacos referenced in the patch notes are consumable and regenerate health and shield by ten HP, and also increase a player’s movement speed temporarily. On top of the consumables, the dancing animation mentioned makes players fully invulnerable as tacos rain down from above. This feels like yet another complaint waiting to happen from professional Fortnite players. In essence, an endgame taking place in Greasy Grove will be completely chaotic. We won’t know for sure how this plays out until we see a professional scrim or tournament match end in Greasy Grove.

Moisty Palms

Another Rift Zone resurrected the beloved location Moisty Mire and combined it with Paradise Palms. The caveat with the new Rift Zone is a player’s ability to disguise themselves as a prop.

The Rift Beacon at Paradise Palms has created this new POI! In addition to its swampy nature, this Rift Zone is known for being a good place to keep a low profile.

While in the Rift Zone, crouching will disguise players as a random prop. They can exit the prop state by using the Primary Fire button.

Players are still able to take damage while in prop form.

ADS lets players lock in place and look around for unsuspecting victims.

The included video indicates the simplicity of this Rift Zone. A player can crouch and appear as a variety of props. It’s safe to say that players within Moisty Palms will be apt to spray aimlessly at seemingly inanimate objects. Competitive implications on this Rift Zone aren’t as severe as Greasy Grove. The gimmick in Moisty Palms does not seem as invasive as a dancing taco party. The loot pools will indicate whether professional trios decide to scrap their current landing location in favor of Moisty Palms.

Weapon Adjustments

As previously stated, Epic Games made the decision to vault the Burst SMG and unvault the Tactical SMG. This change is notable in the sense that it adds another “spray” reliant weapon. The Burst SMG had its purpose, but the ultimate decision to remove it in favor of the Tactical SMG adds yet another fully automatic SMG to the game. Professional players will likely opt to carry the Tactical SMG over the Suppressed SMG due to its fire-rate.

Overall Competitive Effect

Although many players, both professional and casual, despise the constant adjustments to Fortnite, it is intriguing to say the least. Whether it devalues Fortnite as a legitimate esports title is up for debate. Seeing players have to adapt to the latest updates and additions provides a viewing experience unlike any other. The general reaction to patch updates are not ideal from the community perspective, and Epic Games has shown no mercy in this regard. With a Solos Cash Cup taking place this evening, we will see a sample of how these newest Rift Zones will impact the competitive landscape.

With the Fortnite Champion Series nearing its finale, ESTNN is providing constant coverage of all competitive Fortnite news and events. Stay tuned for the latest updates from our team.